Complaint alleges coverup in SAG pension plan embezzlement scheme

Sat, 09/17/2011 - 00:00 EDT - LA Times

Craig E. Simmons, a former employee of the Screen Actors Guild pension and health plans, alleges that he was fired for attempting to uncover an embezzlement scheme involving a previous executive of the funds.A former employee of the Screen Actors Guild pension and health plans has filed a complaint alleging that he was fired for attempting to uncover an embezzlement scheme involving a previous executive of the funds.

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Buried in Donald Trump’s financial disclosure form, released Wednesday, is a bit of a surprise: listed among the Donald’s receipts is a $110,228 Screen Actors Guild pension. Though the amount is chump change for Trump, it’s natural to wonder how a billionaire acquired a union pension at all, and why it’s so high. Did someone make a mistake?

Los Angeles (AFP) - Dark comedy "Birdman" boosted its Oscars hopes Sunday after landing the top prize at the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards, a barometer of likely success at the all-important Academy Awards.The film about a washed up superhero movie star attempting to revive his career on Broadway took the SAG equivalent of the Oscars best picture with victory in the outstanding performance by a cast category.

A former employee of the American Humane Association who says she was fired from the HBO horse-racing drama "Luck" after complaining about abusive treatment of the animals on the set has filed a wrongful-termination suit against HBO, as well as the AHA.

The 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards took place Sunday night at The Shrine Auditorium. The SAG Awards is an accolade given by the actors to actors, recognizing outstanding performances in both film and TV.

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Club Coffee has filed a complaint with the Competition Bureau seeking an investigation into Keurig Green Mountain, saying the single-serve coffee pod and coffee maker company is blocking fair competition.
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For weeks, says Jian Ghomeshi in a lawsuit filed Monday, he and his CBC bosses worked in tandem, dissecting his sexual fetishes and jointly crafting a response to the “scurrilous” allegations he feared were coming.
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Records show that whistleblower was involved in directing business to husband.In another black eye for the Screen Actors Guild pension and health plans, a former executive who blew the whistle on his boss for allegedly steering business to family members was himself involved in directing fund money to his spouse's marketing company, fund records show.

The hikes, approved during Doug Allen's tenure as executive director, came during a year when the actors guild faced a nearly $6-million deficit and suffered investment losses.
Several senior staff members of the Screen Actors Guild received substantial pay hikes in a year when Hollywood's largest actors union faced a nearly $6-million deficit, federal records show.